Objective:To investigate the effects of compound Duzhong Jiangu Granules on joint function and gut microbiota in patients with Kashin-Beck disease.Methods:A single group pre- and post-experimental design was conducted, the patients with Kashin-Beck disease were selected as the subjects in Xunyi County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province; and treated with oral administration of compound Duzhong Jiangu Granules (12 g/bag, 1 bag/time, 3 times/day) for a period of 1 month. The improvement of joint function was evaluated using the joint dysfunction index scoring method before and after treatment. Morning stool samples of patients were collected and the changes in gut microbiota were analyzed before and after treatment using 16S rDNA sequencing technology.Results:A total of 87 patients with Kashin-Beck disease were included, including 44 males and 43 females; the age was (60.38 ± 7.12) years old, and the body mass index was (23.67 ± 3.59) kg/m 2. The comprehensive scores of joint dysfunction index for patients with Kashin-Beck disease before and after treatment were (7.27 ± 2.05) and (5.86 ± 2.01) points, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( t = 5.88, P < 0.001). The sequencing results of gut microbiota showed that there were statistically significant differences in the alpha diversity (chao1, observed species index) and beta diversity of gut microbiota in patients with Kashin-Beck disease before and after treatment ( Z = - 5.08, - 5.03, R = 0.09, P < 0.001). In the distribution of gut microbiota, Firmicutes was the dominant phylum, with relative abundances of 50.21% and 52.09% before and after treatment, respectively; the Bifidobacterium was the dominant bacterial genus, with relative abundances of 16.83% and 18.81% before and after treatment, respectively. At the genus level, a total of 17 gut microbiota genera were screened out, among which the relative abundances of Hafnia-Obesumbacterium, Gammaproteobacteria_unclassified, Acinetobacter, Pantoea, Leuconostoc, and Akkermanisia were significantly higher than before treatment ( Z = - 2.40, - 2.24, - 2.06, - 3.59, - 2.24, - 2.11, P < 0.05). The relative abundances of Dubosiella, Selenomonas, Anaeroplasma, Lachnospiraceae_ NK4A136_group, Rikenella, Prevotella, Megasphaera, Lactobacillus, Prevotella-9, Phascolarctobacterium, and Desulfovibrio were significantly lower than before treatment ( Z = - 9.38, - 2.61, - 2.18, - 8.43, - 2.45, - 2.46, - 2.49, - 7.29, - 2.29, - 2.55, - 2.08, P < 0.05). Conclusions:Compound Duzhong Jiangu Granules can effectively improve the joint function of patients with Kashin-Beck disease, and alter the diversity and richness of the gut microbiota community. It may reduce clinical symptoms in patients by regulating the structure of gut microbiota.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and underactive bladder (UAB) are common types of lower urinary tract dysfunction in women.As the treatment mechanisms of the two conditions are contradictory, the treatment of SUI patients complicated with UAB remains a difficult clinical problem.In order to improve the treatment rate of such patients and promote research, this paper reviews the latest domestic and overseas diagnostic criteria of UAB, summarizes the treatment experience of conventional midurethral sling (tension-free vaginal tape or outside-in transobturator tape) and adjustable sling procedures (transobturator adjustable tape or Remeex system) combined with medication or intermittent catheterization, and the application prospects of cutting-edge technologies such as stem cell injection, cytokine therapy and gene therapy, so as to provide reference for clinicians and researchers.

Zhigancao Tang （also known as Fumaitang） is a classic formula for treating "intermittent pulse and palpitations" and is widely used in clinical practice. Sanjia Fumaitang， included in the Catalogue of Ancient Classical Formulas （First Batch） published by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China in 2018， is derived from this formula. This paper employed bibliometric methods to comprehensively investigate and summarize the historical evolution， drug composition， herb origins and preparation， prescription meanings， and ancient and modern applications of Zhigancao Tang， analyzed the composition and usage of Zhigancao Tang， and discussed the reasons and applications of the "Fumaitang" variants created by Wu Jutong. A total of 47 valid pieces of data from 38 ancient texts were included. Results showe that Zhigancao Tang originates from the Treatise on Cold Damage （Shang Han Lun）， and the name "Fumaitang" is also recorded in the formula's description. Converted to modern measurements from the Han dynasty system， the recommended preparation for Zhigancao Tang includes 55.2 g of fried Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， 41.4 g of Cinnamomi Ramulus， 27.6 g of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma， 220 g of fresh Rehmannia glutinosa， 27.6 g of Asini Corii Colla， 53 g of Ophiopogonis Radix， 45 g of Cannabis Fructus， and 90 g of Jujubae Fructus. All herbs should be decocted with 1 400 mL of yellow rice wine and 1 600 mL of water until 600 mL. Once the Asini Corii Colla is fully dissolved， the decoction should be taken warm at a dosage of 200 mL， three times a day. Zhigancao Tang is effective for replenishing Qi， warming Yang， nourishing Yin， and nourishing blood and is primarily used to treat “intermittent pulse and palpitations” caused by deficiencies in heart Yin and Yang， as well as malnutrition of the heart meridian and conditions like lung atrophy. Modern applications mainly focus on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases， including arrhythmias， coronary heart disease， and premature ventricular contractions. The findings from this research provide a reference for the further development of Zhigancao Tang.

Candida albicans is one of the most common species of Candida, which is an important cause of invasive candidiasis in clinic. Due to the frequently use of classical antifungal agents, there are amounts of drug resistant C. albicans being isolated, causing the significantly decreasing of the efficacy of some antifungal agents in clinical treatment. Besides, the use of some compounds in clinic has been limited because of their toxicities. In such a context, drug combination therapy shows great potential on antifungal because of the synergy of different drugs or therapeutic methods that could bring, which could improve the weaknesses of single drug.

Objective:To investigate the effects of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Gm13568 on the activation of A1 astrocytes and the progress of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice.Methods:A recombinant lentiviral vector (LV-Inhibit-Gm13568) carrying astrocyte-specific promoter of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was established to inhibit the function of endogenous Gm13568. A control vector (LV-ctrl) was established as well. The recombinant vectors were packaged. C57BL/6 mice were injected with 1×10 7 transforming units of viral suspension via the tail vein and 7 d after the injection, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 (MOG 35-55) was used to establish the mouse model of EAE. Four groups, PBS group, EAE group, LV-ctrl+ EAE group and LV-Inhibit-Gm13568+ EAE group, were included in this study. Clinical signs of the mice were monitored daily in a double-blinded manner. The mice were sacrificed 23 d after the EAE model was established and the spinal cord tissues were collected. The expression of Serping 1, C3, Srgn and H2-T23 at mRNA level was detected by real-time PCR. Changes in the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, macrophage chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) were measured. Western blot was used to investigate the expression of GFAP and Notch1 in spinal cord tissues and the phosphorylation of signal transduction and transcription activator 3 (STAT3). The expression of Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD) and GFAP in spinal cord tissues was detected by immunofluorescence. Furthermore, the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the demyelination of spinal cord were observed using HE and Luxol fast blue (LFB) staining methods. Results:Compared with PBS group, A1 astrocytes were activated and Notch1 expression was significantly up-regulated in EAE group and LV-ctrl+ EAE group. The clinical score of mice in LV-Inhibit-Gm13568+ EAE group was decreased from an average score of 3.5 to less than 1 on 23 d after antigen induction and the clinical symptoms were alleviated as compared with the mice in LV-ctrl+ EAE group. Meanwhile, the activation of A1 astrocytes was down-regulated, and the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines was also reduced. The expression of Notch1, GFAP and NICD at protein level and the phosphorylation of STAT3 were significantly reduced. Moreover, the infiltration of inflammatory cells and demyelination of spinal cord tissues were alleviated significantly.Conclusions:LncRNA Gm13568 might regulate the activation of A1 astrocytes via the Notch1/STAT3 pathway, thus affecting the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and participating in the process of EAE.

Objective:To investigate the pathological subtypes and clinicopathological characteristics of the non-squamous immunophenotype nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NSNPC).Methods:The clinicopathological features of the non-squamous immunophenotype nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosed between 2011 and 2019 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, transmission electron microscopy and PCR gene rearrangement. Follow-up data were also collected.Results:There were 14 males and 9 females with a median age of 46 years (ranging from 16 to 76 years) with an average age of 45 years. Microscopically, patterns were similar to the classic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry showed that most NSNPC cases expressed low molecular weight keratin (CK8/18, CK8 and CKL) and expressed pathway proteins in a low level (EGFR, PI3K, p-AKT and p-mTOR), which had significant difference from classic nasopharyngeal carcinoma group ( P<0.05). Other proteins including CK5/6, CKpan, CK7, Syn, CD56, CgA, SOX-10, AKT, mTOR, Notch, STAT3 and p-STAT3 showed no statistical difference between the two groups. Pathogen detection showed that EBER was positive (18/23, 78.3%) and HPV positive(2/23, 8.7%)which were HPV35 and HPV38. The cancer suppressor gene BLU was highly expressed in NSNPC; RASSF1 and Rbms3 were less expressed in NSNPC, in line with classic NPC. As a whole, NSNPC was characterized by ultrastructures of low-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Compared with classic nasopharyngeal carcinoma, NSNPC had a lower recurrence rate and earlier clinical stage( P<0.05),but there was no significant correlation with age, sex, distant metastasis and death ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The histological morphology, etiology and gene changes of NSNPC are similar to those of classical nasopharyngeal carcinoma and ultrastructural findings show that NSNPC still belongs to undifferentiated type in non-keratinized squamous cell carcinoma. The malignant degree of NSNPC is low and the prognosis is good.

Objective:To explore the relationship between total MRI burden and serum homocysteine (Hcy) in patients with cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD), and to provide clues for disease prevention and treatment.Methods:A total of 370 inpatients with CSVD from the neurology department of hospital were consecutively enrolled from September 2016 to December 2018.The clinical data, including serum homocysteine(Hcy) levels were collected.Brain MRI data were collected, including the severity of white matter hyperintensities(WMH), lacune infarcts(LI), cerebral microbleeds(CMBs), and enlarged perivascular spaces(ePVS) to evaluate the total load of CSVD.SPSS21.0 was applied to analyze the association between total CSVD burden and Hcy.Results:(1)Compared with the patients with lower Hcy levels, the higher Hcy group had heavier total burdens of CSVD( P<0.01). (2)According to the total MRI burden scores of CSVD, all patients were further divided into low burden group(106 cases) and moderate-high burden group(264 cases). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that Hcy( OR=1.026, 95% CI: 1.003-1.049, P=0.026) was risk factor for increasing CSVD burden and hyperhomocysteinemia was a stronger predictor for total MRI burdens of CSVD( OR=3.202, 95% CI: 1.947-5.268, P<0.001). Conclusion:Serum Hcy can be an independent risk factor for the total MRI burdens of CSVD.This finding provides a promising clue for the prediction and clinical management of CSVD.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the enlarged of peripheral vascular space and cognitive function in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:Totally 223 patients with first-episode acute cerebral infarction were selected from the department of neurology in Hebei general hospital from September 2016 to December 2018, who completed the test of cognitive function. All patients were divided into cognitive impairment group( n=67)and normal cognitive group( n=156)according to the score of MoCA.The risk factors of cognitive function and the relationship between the enlargement of perivascular space and cognitive function were analyzed by SPSS 21.0. Results:Age, history of coronary heart disease, Hcy, Fib, BG-EPVS and CSO-EPVS were statistically significant different in cognitive impairment group and normal cognitive group(all P<0.05). Age ( B=0.067, OR=1.070, 95% CI=1.035-1.106, P<0.05), Hcy( B=0.032, OR=1.033, 95% CI=1.007-1.060, P=0.013), and BG-EPVS( B=0.720, OR=2.055, 95% CI=1.041-4.055, P=0.038)were independent risk factors for cognitive impairment.The degree of BG-EPVS in the cognitive impairment group was negatively correlated with the total MoCA score( r=-0.332, P<0.05), visual space and execution( r=-0.256, P<0.01), attention( r=-0.256, P<0.01), language( r=-0.182, P<0.05)and orientation( r=-0.370, P<0.05). Conclusion:EPVS, especially BG-EPVS, can be used as an indicator to evaluate the early cognitive function of AIS patients.

Homocysteine participates in the methionine cycle in the body and is excreted by the kidneys. Its abnormal elevation increases the risk of cerebrovascular disease. Studies in recent years have shown that hyperhomocysteinemia is closely related to cerebral small vessel diseases and is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke and cognitive impairment. Because hyperhomocysteinemia is largely reversible, the significance of drug intervention in the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular disease has gradually been confirmed. This article reviews the relationship between homocysteine and cerebral small vessel diseases in order to provide a reference for the prevention of stroke and dementia.

Mechanical thrombectomy is an effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Direct aspiration thrombectomy is one of the operating methods of mechanical thrombectomy. Compared with stent thrombectomy, it has the characteristics of simple operation and quick opening of the occluded blood vessels. This article reviews the related research of direct aspiration thrombectomy for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.